Earthquakes in Ecuador
Ecuador sits directly above the collision of the Nazca and South American plates, where the ocean floor subducts beneath the coast and the Andes rise inland. It is a highly active zone that produces both great offshore megathrust earthquakes and shallow, damaging quakes beneath the mountain cities.
The 1906 Esmeraldas earthquake off the northern coast reached about magnitude 8.8, among the largest ever recorded. More recently the 2016 Pedernales earthquake (M7.8) struck the coast, causing widespread destruction and hundreds of deaths.
The figures below are drawn live from the EarthquakeIndex archive for the area shown. No one can predict when the next earthquake will strike — but you can follow every event the moment EMSC records it.
Ecuador seismic activity at a glance
- 3,741 Earthquakes on record
- 300 In the last 12 months
- M8.0 Strongest ever 2019
- M2.1 Most recent 14 Oct 2026
Recent earthquakes in Ecuador
The last 30 days, newest first.
| Date | Magnitude | Depth | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| M2.1ml | 12 km | Ecuador | |
| M4.1mb | 15 km | Near Coast Of Ecuador | |
| M3.7ml | 24 km | Peru-ecuador Border Region | |
| M4.4mb | 10 km | Colombia | |
| M4.4mb | 20 km | Near Coast Of Ecuador | |
| M2.6ml | 13 km | Near Coast Of Ecuador | |
| M2.9ml | 165 km | Ecuador | |
| M3.0ml | 11 km | Ecuador | |
| M2.9ml | 11 km | Near Coast Of Ecuador | |
| M4.2ml | 17 km | Near Coast Of Ecuador | |
| M3.6ml | 74 km | Ecuador | |
| M3.5m | 24 km | Colombia-ecuador Border Region | |
| M4.0m | 5 km | Colombia-ecuador Border Region | |
| M3.7m | 15 km | Northern Peru | |
| M4.3mb | 162 km | Ecuador | |
| M3.8ml | 25 km | Near Coast Of Ecuador | |
| M3.5ml | 12 km | Near Coast Of Ecuador | |
| M4.3mb | 44 km | Peru-ecuador Border Region | |
| M3.7m | 34 km | Near Coast Of Northern Peru | |
| M3.7ml | 31 km | Near Coast Of Ecuador |
Live data from the EarthquakeIndex archive · source EMSC.
Explore Ecuador on the live map →